Five Ten 'Winterized' Shoes | Fresh Produce

Five Ten 'Winterized' Shoes | Fresh Produce

Before you all get too excited I should point out now that these new ‘Winterized’ versions of the Freerider VXi and the standard Freerider will not be available until around autumn of this year. Now that’s out of the way here are some photos of them…

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Five Ten 'Winterized' Shoes | Fresh Produce

So what makes them winterized? Well firstly you might have noticed that neither of these new ‘Elements’ models have any mesh venting, which in turn will make them far better in wet, muddy and cold conditions. Maybe ‘UKized’ would have been just as good a description. I can’t actually ever remember thinking that my feet have been too hot on a ride, so personally I’d be more than happy to always trade in the venting for some solid leather style material instead.

The new approach to material usage on the uppers is only one side of the story though when it comes to the Freerider VXi Elements, and the other side is potentially much bigger. Basically Five Ten will be making the VXi sole from their new Stealth MI6 rubber, and if you thought their shoes already offered incredible grip then you’d better get ready to be amazed. Apparently the rubber was originally developed to help Tom Cruise and his stuntmen climb up sheet glass in a Mission Impossible film, and it’s so soft and grippy that Five Ten were unsure if it had any real use in real life. That though was until Five Ten’s founder and president Charles Cole tried out a sample pair of MI6 soled shoes on his bike.

With a durometer of just 48 these are by far the softest soled shoes that Five Ten have ever created, and the main idea behind using them on these winterized shoes is that in really cold temperatures their standard sole becomes harder and less grippy (just like any rubber), and so to offer the same level of grip in those kinds of conditions the only solution was to go for an even grippier rubber. And the difference really is quite noticeable, you can really squish and move the rubber with your finger.

Sadly we weren’t allowed to try these shoes out on a bike as they needed to be kept as box fresh samples, but if these prove to be a step up in terms of performance then we can see people going mad for this new sole, whatever the weather. How long will the sole last? Well it’s certainly not going to be as long as the usual sole, but the guys at Five Ten still reckon they should last a decent amount of time. For racing only shoes?

Aside from the added grip, the new MI6 rubber also has even better cushioning and damping properties. This should translate into increased comfort and help to reduce the chance of your feet bouncing off your pedals. And if you’re still wondering if it really is possible to make an even grippier sole than the one we already know and love then you might be interested to know that at a recent outdoor show Five Ten displayed their forthcoming MI6 soled climbing shoe by simply pushing them up against a vertical piece of glass…to which they simply stuck! Bonkers.

So are you going to be on the waiting list for these, or do you think you can ever have too much grip? Actually…that’s reminded me…didn’t Five Ten bring out this Freerider VXi sole because some people felt the Impact had too much grip? And now they’ve made this smooth sole from uber grippy rubber…maybe it will offer just as much grip as the Impact sole but with better feel? Who knows, but we sure as hell can’t wait to get hold of some…

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Have they got anything to stop the water getting in and soaking the inside of the shoe and sponge like tongue?

Ed

2 years ago

Sorry, I forgot to mention that these new shoes do have a substantially less bulky interior, especially when it comes to the tongue, so they won’t soak up as much as the current shoes do and they will dry out much faster too.

james

2 years ago

these are ugly & the soles are useless off road – especially in wet/ muddy conditions. You’d be better off making the Impacts more H2O proof. These are what I use now & will not change by the looks of things here.

Maya Rider

2 years ago

i’d hoped they provided more traction in loamy, muddy conditions by not just the compuound itself, but also the tread pattern, especially at the toe. Ppl dont climb up steep slopes with the whole sole, just the front half of hte foot. Please 5.10?

Peter

2 years ago

That smooth sole is not gonna be fun when pushing up the hill.

Raymond Kerr

2 years ago

I’m looking forward to getting a pair of the new VXi this month, maybe in red or carbon effect. The release is supposed to be March 2013 ?? these winter colours look great all the same.

Doobles

2 years ago

Apart from the rubber 510 still have nothing going for them. Big disappointment with these too. No grip for pushing the bike, bright laces, still look ugly. There are so many things you can do to make a show more suitable for winter and they havnt done it. Look like there designed for California winter!

Droppin-Neutron

2 years ago

I quite like the colours but I’m a bit mystified as to why they have ‘winterized’ the freeriders and not the impacts – surely the impact high would be the best choice platform for a winter boot?

Andy D

2 years ago

For proper wintrerization they should be looking at a sealed tongue with a Gore-Tex, eVent or Sympatex liner. And what the smeg are the smooth soles all about? What we really want is a pair of stiff, insulated fabric hiking boots with the stealth sole material and some viscious Welsh slate-proof tread. A snug-fitting, grippy winter welly.

alansicmoto

2 years ago

What the smeg indeed sir, excellent!

jonnyb

2 years ago

Biggest problem with 510s in the “real” winter (ie snow) is the soles have no grip on snow and ice (still plenty grippy on pedals at -10). Give me a shoe with lugs on the toes and heels and a flat spot for the pedal. And insulate it so you can use it below -10. Then you can market it as part of the whole fat bike trend.

Ste

2 years ago

Looks good’ i’d buy them , was hoping for some goretex inclusion though? now there part of the addidas fam. 😉

Ed

2 years ago

No Goretex I’m afraid, but the uppers do have a ‘hydrophobic’ coating which will shed water like a ducks back.

DazO

2 years ago

Bet those laces look great after about 15 mintes Duh!
The Karvers are more winterized than these.
Choiu

Leon

2 years ago

They need to ‘ winterize ‘ the impact high tops !

Surely they can get a deal going with 3M or du pont for some fancy no sweating/feet dry material ?

dubious

2 years ago

They’re obviously not a full winter boot, but a a more waterproof skate shoe, I think I like it.

MattM

2 years ago

I wear my Sam Hill’s year round. Problem solved.

Mat

2 years ago

still not as good as Shimano`s AM shoes.

Eirik

2 years ago

So, since they stick to vertical glass, does that mean I can forgo the pins on my pedals now?

unleash

2 years ago

fugly

bedders

2 years ago

Where’s the flap over the laces??? As far as I know the only 5.10 with a lace flap is still the Karver.

marki3boy

2 years ago

Pics 9-11 look good, a water resistant version of the freeriders that I’m using at the moment.

ronin

2 years ago

why did they bite off the colors straight from the teva links?

FoomanG

2 years ago

Smooth sole is such a bad idea, in fact it is dangerous, if you come to a stop and put a foot down your going to slide and end up on the deck…

Monkey1

2 years ago

Why o why! Got to agree, the high top impact would be a better shoe to winterise….. To be frank these things look like the shoes you see in OAP free mags in the Sunday papers!! Like the Giro monstrosities…. Soft runner sole, with a patten, gore upper, high ankle… Does not have to look like special shoes!!!! Come on five10

Rick

2 years ago

These will also come with a second pair of laces in the box, in BLACK! Customize your style.

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